Misunderstanding
noun
A situation when someone has incorrect ideas or beliefs about something because they have interpreted it wrongly.
A misunderstanding between friends can cause a lot of pain.
Often appears as...
- clear up a misunderstanding
- avoid a misunderstanding
noun
Failure to understand something correctly.
The disagreement was based on a legal misunderstanding.
Often appears as...
- legal misunderstanding
- fundamental misunderstanding
Usage tips
Formal
noun
A situation when someone has incorrect ideas or beliefs about something because they have interpreted it wrongly.
A misunderstanding between friends can cause a lot of pain.
Often appears as...
- clear up a misunderstanding
- avoid a misunderstanding
noun
Failure to understand something correctly.
The disagreement was based on a legal misunderstanding.
Often appears as...
- legal misunderstanding
- fundamental misunderstanding
Usage tips
Formal
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Casual Use
Often used in casual speech to describe simple mix-ups or mistakes in communication.
Our lunch plans got cancelled due to a misunderstanding of the meeting time.
Pro Tip 2/3Interpersonal Context
Frequently arises in stories or discussions about personal relationships, signifying conflicts.
Their argument was just a misunderstanding; they're not really angry with each other.
Pro Tip 3/3Clarification
Can imply the need for more information or clarification to resolve the incorrect beliefs.
To avoid any misunderstanding, please ask questions if my instructions are not clear.
Compare with
confusiondisagreeerrormisapprehensionmisconceptionmisinterpretmistake
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Video examples
Yuval Noah Harari...
misunderstanding it that's what it's like when it's misused but really we think of it as empowerment capitalism like in your mind what is what is the trade-off between the good potential and the evil potential of this there is enormous good potential we could provide the best healthcare in the world and the cheapest healthcare in the world for
Video examples
The benefits of a good...
and going to sleep. Sleep occupies nearly a third of our lives, but many of us give surprisingly little attention and care to it. This neglect is often the result of a major misunderstanding. Sleep isn't lost time, or just a way to rest when all our important work is done.
Video examples
Strange answers to the...
Anyway, he faked madness too well, he said. And they didn't send him to some cushy hospital. They sent him to Broadmoor. And the minute he got there, said he took one look at the place, asked to see the psychiatrist, said, "There's been a terrible misunderstanding.
Video examples
In on a secret? That's...
Again, we know more of what is going on than the characters do. Picture two characters making a plan for a birthday surprise for their roommate while that roommate overhears the entire conversation from the hallway. From there, confusion and misunderstanding occur,
Video examples
The Call of Everest PIPE...
and there was a misunderstanding so in the end I ended up in this long line of floating head lamps and I didn't know anyone around me and I felt like if something bad were to happen to me I wasn't sure anyone would be there to help me so that was one of the most
Video examples
Sheena Iyengar: The art...
I knew even then that I would encounter cultural differences and misunderstandings, but they popped up when I least expected it. On my first day, I went to a restaurant, and I ordered a cup of green tea with sugar. After a pause, the waiter said,
Video examples
The voices in my head PIPE...
Which I actually did, and which needless to say did not endear me to the faculty. In effect, a vicious cycle of fear, avoidance, mistrust and misunderstanding had been established, and this was a battle in which I felt powerless
Video examples
The virginity fraud PIPE...
But the truth is, this is about so much more than an anatomical misunderstanding. The myths about the hymen have lived on for centuries because they have cultural significance. They have been used as a powerful tool
Video examples
Hawking's black hole...
Others have suggested the paradox is just a misunderstanding of how general relativity and quantum field theory interact. Respectively, these two theories describe the largest and smallest physical phenomena,
Video examples
Solar Geo-engineering PIPE...
to do that but there's not much support for research in this area and I think part of it is because there's some real misunderstandings about it so I'm not going to try to convince you today that
Video examples
Yuval Noah Harari...
misunderstanding it that's what it's like when it's misused but really we think of it as empowerment capitalism like in your mind what is what is the trade-off between the good potential and the evil potential of this there is enormous good potential we could provide the best healthcare in the world and the cheapest healthcare in the world for
Video examples
The benefits of a good...
and going to sleep. Sleep occupies nearly a third of our lives, but many of us give surprisingly little attention and care to it. This neglect is often the result of a major misunderstanding. Sleep isn't lost time, or just a way to rest when all our important work is done.
Video examples
Strange answers to the...
Anyway, he faked madness too well, he said. And they didn't send him to some cushy hospital. They sent him to Broadmoor. And the minute he got there, said he took one look at the place, asked to see the psychiatrist, said, "There's been a terrible misunderstanding.
Video examples
In on a secret? That's...
Again, we know more of what is going on than the characters do. Picture two characters making a plan for a birthday surprise for their roommate while that roommate overhears the entire conversation from the hallway. From there, confusion and misunderstanding occur,
Video examples
The Call of Everest PIPE...
and there was a misunderstanding so in the end I ended up in this long line of floating head lamps and I didn't know anyone around me and I felt like if something bad were to happen to me I wasn't sure anyone would be there to help me so that was one of the most
Video examples
Sheena Iyengar: The art...
I knew even then that I would encounter cultural differences and misunderstandings, but they popped up when I least expected it. On my first day, I went to a restaurant, and I ordered a cup of green tea with sugar. After a pause, the waiter said,
Video examples
The voices in my head PIPE...
Which I actually did, and which needless to say did not endear me to the faculty. In effect, a vicious cycle of fear, avoidance, mistrust and misunderstanding had been established, and this was a battle in which I felt powerless
Video examples
The virginity fraud PIPE...
But the truth is, this is about so much more than an anatomical misunderstanding. The myths about the hymen have lived on for centuries because they have cultural significance. They have been used as a powerful tool
Video examples
Hawking's black hole...
Others have suggested the paradox is just a misunderstanding of how general relativity and quantum field theory interact. Respectively, these two theories describe the largest and smallest physical phenomena,
Video examples
Solar Geo-engineering PIPE...
to do that but there's not much support for research in this area and I think part of it is because there's some real misunderstandings about it so I'm not going to try to convince you today that
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Glennon Doyle Melton
American Author
We all have this misunderstanding about heartbreak, which is we think we should avoid it. But what I think is that heartache is a clue toward the work we're supposed to be doing in the world. What breaks each person's heart is different - be it racial injustice, war, or animals. And when you figure out what it is that breaks yours, go toward it.
Quote examples
Zoe Quinn
American Artist
A big barrier to people getting help with online harassment is the general attitude either that it's not a real issue - that it's 'only' online - or that it's limited to someone saying they don't like you, and all of that stems from a basic misunderstanding of what we mean when we say 'online harassment.
Quote examples
Donald Johanson
American Scientist
There have been some friendships lost over this. That's the most difficult for me. I find it very uncomfortable to know that I was at one time close friends with someone, and because of jealousies and misunderstandings and so on, these friendships have dissolved.
Quote examples
Juliet Marillier
New Zealander Writer
Third person allows a deeper exploration of the relationships between characters. We can see their misunderstandings and hear what they think about each other. We can create a more complex structure with various story threads running parallel.
Quote examples
Alberto Salazar
Cuban Athlete
I can't tell you why a particular athlete would leave a certain coach, but I can tell you there could be many reasons. They could have personality conflicts. They could have misunderstandings. Lots of stuff can happen.
Quote examples
Tinsley Mortimer
American Celebrity
I learned that if you're going to move in with a friend, it's important to establish ground rules immediately so there aren't any misunderstandings down the line.
Quote examples
Francois Truffaut
French Director
Hitchcock loves to be misunderstood, because he has based his whole life around misunderstandings.
Quote examples
Lionel Trilling
American Critic
Where misunderstanding serves others as an advantage, one is helpless to make oneself understood.
Quote examples
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
American Poet
In the whole round of human affairs little is so fatal to peace as misunderstanding.
Quote examples
Charles Baudelaire
French Poet
The world only goes round by misunderstanding.
Quote examples
Glennon Doyle Melton
American Author
We all have this misunderstanding about heartbreak, which is we think we should avoid it. But what I think is that heartache is a clue toward the work we're supposed to be doing in the world. What breaks each person's heart is different - be it racial injustice, war, or animals. And when you figure out what it is that breaks yours, go toward it.
Quote examples
Zoe Quinn
American Artist
A big barrier to people getting help with online harassment is the general attitude either that it's not a real issue - that it's 'only' online - or that it's limited to someone saying they don't like you, and all of that stems from a basic misunderstanding of what we mean when we say 'online harassment.
Quote examples
Donald Johanson
American Scientist
There have been some friendships lost over this. That's the most difficult for me. I find it very uncomfortable to know that I was at one time close friends with someone, and because of jealousies and misunderstandings and so on, these friendships have dissolved.
Quote examples
Juliet Marillier
New Zealander Writer
Third person allows a deeper exploration of the relationships between characters. We can see their misunderstandings and hear what they think about each other. We can create a more complex structure with various story threads running parallel.
Quote examples
Alberto Salazar
Cuban Athlete
I can't tell you why a particular athlete would leave a certain coach, but I can tell you there could be many reasons. They could have personality conflicts. They could have misunderstandings. Lots of stuff can happen.
Quote examples
Tinsley Mortimer
American Celebrity
I learned that if you're going to move in with a friend, it's important to establish ground rules immediately so there aren't any misunderstandings down the line.
Quote examples
Francois Truffaut
French Director
Hitchcock loves to be misunderstood, because he has based his whole life around misunderstandings.
Quote examples
Lionel Trilling
American Critic
Where misunderstanding serves others as an advantage, one is helpless to make oneself understood.
Quote examples
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
American Poet
In the whole round of human affairs little is so fatal to peace as misunderstanding.
Quote examples
Charles Baudelaire
French Poet
The world only goes round by misunderstanding.
Example 1 of 10
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